Well, following the news, CCS situation is going worst every minute. Not only the airport's situation is bad, but people is starting to go crazy. Every day, thousands of workers go from La Guaira to Caracas and viceverse to work, and now, due to the bridge's situation, this has reduced dramatically.(Link to the preview discussion on here) Transportation has gotten pretty difficult, not only because of the scarse ways to go through, but because of the high pricing transporters are asking for. From CCS to Caracas, Taxis are asking about Bs.150$ and Private Buses about $200. Then, there are the 'privileged' ways...Helicopters from La Carlota to CCS, who ask $300 a person for the 20min trip...

Anyhow, today rumors popped up and things are about to change for a while. The biggest rumor is that all Widebodies flights are going to be diverted to Base El Libertador (SVBL) in Maracay. This base has never been used for comercial flights before, but now, ALAV (Venezuela Airlines Association), sustained a meeting today and seems that have taken the decision of diverting all flights coming from Europe, since the Airlines have complained about the low pax loadings on their flights.

Furthermore, this decision was also taken because the Alternate Way (Carretera Vieja) that goes down to La Guaira is about to be closed for normal cars. It seems that only buses are going to be able to go through the day, and trucks at night. Therefore, normal cars will have to take the other alternate way wich will take about 3 to 4 hours to do it.

It is still being studied the possible opening of La Carlota airport to estabilidh air bridge flights from CCS and flights to VLN and BLA, but neighbours and many other organizations disagree with it, since the closing was for 'security issues'.

In adition to this, flights from Aeropuerto Caracas have been estabilished to CCS, PMV, BLA and VLN, in order to reduce pax movements at CCS.

Airlines have helped each other through meetings with ALAV, and agreed to set timetables to all important airports in Venezuela. Here they are:

Quoting 797 (Thread starter):Taxis are asking about Bs.150$ and Private Buses about $200. Then, there are the 'privileged' ways...Helicopters from La Carlota to CCS, who ask $300 a person for the 20min trip...

Can you please tell me what currency this is in? According to my calculations, 150 Bolivares is approximately 7.2 US cents!

Quoting SHUPirate1 (Reply 1):Can you please tell me what currency this is in? According to my calculations, 150 Bolivares is approximately 7.2 US cents!

I suppose 797 meant USD for all figures. A coleague of mine paid Bs 200 000 (it is USD 93) for a taxi from the airport last Sunday.

Quoting 797 (Thread starter):The biggest rumor is that all Widebodies flights are going to be diverted to Base El Libertador (SVBL) in Maracay.

Waht about the easyness of road access to this airfield ? If this involves (and this is surely the case) using the Palo Negro or La Encrucijada exits of the highway, welcome to trafic jams.
Fortunately passengers from Caracas would avoid crossing the La Cabrera higway viaduct, that will see "reparation works" start this Monday...

Avoid 777 with 3-4-3 config in Y ! They are real sardine cans. (AF/KL for example)

Aeropostal will reschedule almost all domestic services. The two daily services to San Antonio del Tachira (SVZ) will be reduced to one. Other city connections have been cut dramatically: MAR from 8 to 3, PMV from 6 to 4.

Other flights on the East-West routes will be crossed in Valencia. This is for the cities of Maracaibo, Maturin and Puerto Ordaz.

And about the international and intercontinental flights: this is a real disaster. And I am sure that not only the ALAV in CCS is discussing how to solve the problem, but also the airlines in their headquarters.

I can very well imagine that e.g. LH moves their operations from CCS to BOG. The hub-function of BOG is now much better. They will never agree to operate to an airport such as MCY if they have the chance to go to BOG instead.

Venezuelan airlines, such as Aeropostal and Conviasa, currently evaluating European flights will of course postpone their decisions.

So this problem might really cost us some intercontinental services and it will take years to recover from that.

Quoting 797 (Thread starter):The building of the new highway is estimated to be done in mid february, so until then, this problem won't be solved.

Do you mean 2007 ? I seriously doubt that in 30 days there will be another access to Vargas.

It is so sad to see such a development caused mainly by a number of irresponsible and stupid governments who didn't take their jobs serious. Really bad is to see all those people loosing their jobs. This is specially bad, as the real specialized persons who would find a job relatively simple again, will for sure be transferred to the new location as the companies can't be without. All those poor guys who do a simple, but not less important work, will be workless as nobody wants to pay for their transfers. They will be replaced with locals in the other place and find themselves from one day to the other in an economical very difficult situation.

The only good thing on such a situation is, that such examples can show of very clearly how important an airport with good international connections is for the economics of a country, There are still numerous organizations out there who want to tell us that it doesn't really matter....

Unfortunately it is nothing than true, once the big airlines loose their confidence in a destination, it will be real hard to have them back. I am happy to eventually see LH back to BOG but have also a sad eye, as they probably won't go back to CCS until things change dramatically. But I don't think that this will happen without "Hugo" in another job. He may help working on the new raod....

In about 20 days an alternative route trhough El Limón, sector La Llanera will be opened. They still have to decide what kind of traffic will be permitted.
Anyway this is not a highway, it is the same type of old road that is used now as an alternative road, but will help against the congestion.

Quoting SHUPirate1 (Reply 1):Can you please tell me what currency this is in? According to my calculations, 150 Bolivares is approximately 7.2 US cents!

Ups, my mistake. Yes, I meant US Dollars, just that I typed it at 2am last night and I was kind of dead by then!

Quoting Chiguire (Reply 4):Quoting 797 (Thread starter):
The building of the new highway is estimated to be done in mid february, so until then, this problem won't be solved.

Do you mean 2007 ? I seriously doubt that in 30 days there will be another access to Vargas.

No, I mean 2006. Last time I came up from La Guaira I saw the works and it looks pretty good. They're doing all the land movement and they estimate to start setting the highway in two weeks. Ofcourse, this won't be done by mid-february...I estimate it to be done around mid march/april. Anyhow, the government must find more solutions, as Lamedianaranja informed...

Wonder how long this will last. Aeropostal who, as mentioned, has moved one of VH 500/503 from CCS-MIA-CCS to VLN-MIA-VLN, currently has the 2nd daily VLN-MIA-VLN frequency in the schedules through 19 February 2006.

Santa Barbara has reduces CCS-MIA-CCS to 1x daily starting 20 January 2006, but this cancelation was before this whole thing started, and has to do with Primaris needing the plane during the next few months for charters (the plane will now be MIA-based). The second daily resumes 03Apr06.

WOW what a mess guys....my family and I have been following this story for a while...my dad flew to CCS back in June and since his flight was delayed he got to the airport very late and my aunt and him had to wait like 2 hours because the bridge was closed since it was being fixed every night.

The government "should" step in and do something to solve this problem immediately The traffic between the airport or La Guaira and Caraca is huge. It would be like closing the bridge that connects Long Island and New York.

It is becoming ridiculous those prices for a taxi or just to get to Caracas, it would definitly leave some bad impressions on tourist. I think some small charter airlines should get together with VH and have VH cover the cost of taking their passenger from CCS to another airport like Carlota or Maracay. I bet more people would fly VH right now if they offered that service to their passenger. Maybe good ol Chavez should lend out his plane and run constant charters between the two airports. I mean the government sure has the kinda of money to provide that service to the clients of CCS as well as a quick temporary fix on the bridge while a better improve highway is built.

I mean didn't we just give like $300 billion to Evo Morales to combat illiteracy...how bout some for your own country????

Hopefully this get solved quickly because it looks like traffic and tourist to Venezuela are just on a downhill slide if this keeps going

Yes, indeed it's a whole mess my friend. Yesterday some important organization had a meeting with all hotel representants in Caracas and said that hotel loadings have drastically reduced in a 52% in the last month. That's very very bad not only for our tourism, but for the hotels. I had the opportunity of doing an investigation for University about Hotel Tamanaco and I got pretty involved in the development of the business and had many conversations with the manager. They happily are the best loaded hotel within Caracas, and yesterday, they published that are 17% loaded... That broke my heart.

On the other hand, Hotels down in La Guaira are full. Although they're full for maximun one night each guest, they've increased their activities in about 70% in the last few weeks.

Anyways, I really hope that the government gives a solution to this. If we already have a bad economy, this won't help at all. Lets hope for the best.

People look at the hidden pretty economy we have here in Venezuela, "where oil gives us billions and they are well used for the country's wealth".... Not true.

Yes, oil gives us money, and plenty of it...but just a bit of it goes to the country, and the other, I'd say to the Presidential A319CJ's fuel... All these govt. people just take that money and that's it... no one cares, no one knows.

People are affraid to have Bolivares and do everything they can to buy US$... If we had a good economy, people wouldn't be closing their businesses and leaving the country. Also, delincuency would be something people hear perhaps once a week, but no, that's an issue we have to handle every day.

Airlines in Venezuela are bad just because they don't have all the resources to be well managed....and why? because we have a bad and unstable economy. Sadly, yes.

Guys I just went to Aeropuerto Caracas in Charallave to check it out and give my feedback about it, since Avior is going to start tomorrow comercial ops from it.

Well the driving time was 20min from the Tazon toll booth in the Autopista Reigonal del Centro. I think it takes an average 30-45min to make it to that toll booth from almost anywhere in Caracas, so we are talking about a 50-65min ride from the city to the airport, which isn't bad compared to 45-60min that takes to make it to CCS from the city.

The airport despite being a General Aviation airfield, has Customs/Inmigration facilities (separate from the terminal) and a pax terminal, which is very small but looks big enough to handle a few daily B1900D flights.

The thing is Ricardo, that despite the large influx of Money that Venezuela is receiving because of the oil, that money isn't going to your average Venezuelan. The money isn't being invested wisely in jobs and great public works. In the 70s when we enjoyed lots of oil wealth, your average Venezuelan DID see the benefits and the middle class boomed, many Venezuelans came out of poverty in those years.

Why is that? well I guess we gotta thank Chavez. Money is going to other countries to buy votes in the OAS (OEA) and to bank accounts in Miami that belong to many Communist-revolutionaries that have a MVR (Chavez's party) member card.

Quoting 797 (Reply 18):Now, how could you go in? Don't they have a booth at the entrance where they ask you where are you going/flying and ask for id, etc?

yea they do have that booth, pretty freaky if you ask me. They ask for ID, so I put my Cedula in the tray and about 1 min later I got it back and the guy let me in. I simply said that I was going to ask something in the terminal, that's all I said. I guess they aren't being too strict in letting people in since Avior is using the airport now for commercial services.

Quoting Luisde8cd (Reply 17):The thing is Ricardo, that despite the large influx of Money that Venezuela is receiving because of the oil, that money isn't going to your average Venezuelan.

Luis and Enrique,
I completely understand, but I guess we should call it bad policies, problems with the private sector, not Bad Economy.
Venezuelan economy is strong and growing for the second year in a row and with huge international reserves.

I think the problem in Venezuela are policies... monetary, exchange, fiscal.. but you won't have the risks of hyperinflation or fiscal deficit for many years.. that's not a bad economy..

It is true Venezuela has tons of money in profits daily coming in. I mean there was a newspaper article on the front page of the USA Today on Thursday that pretty much said that CHavez had the US by the neck because of Citgo, I think they title read "Chavez has a political tool in the US", (I got the cut out back in my room, I might scan it and send it to you guys in Vzla if you are interested) BUt yeah if any foreigner looks at the numbers they think the country is amongst the best in the world, with top techonology and great hospitals...but the problems is that the money is going to support other Anti-American presidents in South America, paying for Cubans to live in Vzla, Chavez's trips and such......

Quoting Venezuela747 (Reply 23):BUt yeah if any foreigner looks at the numbers they think the country is amongst the best in the world, with top techonology and great hospitals

That could perfectly be true, sadly. We could be an amazing country economically speaking, being perhaps the best on South America, just if we took advantage of all the "Petro-Dolares" we earn daily...

Back to the thread, a friend of mine who lives in the approach line to Aeropuerto Caracas told me that last night, airplanes were approaching until 23.00. He said that he could recognize Beech1900s and EMB120s. I guess Avior is flying fully scheaduled there. That airport used to close at 22.00.... who knows...

Saludos

Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous!

25 Luisde8cd
: I think it has to do with the fact that Aeroejecutivos is using DC-3s for its shuttle flights. I don't think many people are willing to ride in a 70

26 797
: Hely Luis! Well, not sure about Avior's EMB-120s, when I came back from MIA this January I'm 70% sure I saw one...either way, many airplanes are land

27 RICARIZA
: Well there is always something good on bad situations, at least you are able to see all sorts of aircrafts in Charallave..

28 Luisde8cd
: Let's do it then. Let's try to gather as much a.netters as we can. Hmm and if I tell you now to go the weekend after? Could that little flight still